1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable frame with seat for use in connection with motor vehicles. The adjustable frame with seat has particular utility in connection with truck beds of various sizes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Once the domain of contractors, farmers, and ranchers, pickup trucks have caught the interest of the public. Besides hauling, people have pickup trucks for utility vehicles and basic transportation. With two or three seats in the cab, pickup trucks may take additional passengers in the truck bed at the pickup truck owner's discretion. However, passengers in the truck bed face known and significant dangers of ejection and other bodily injury in an accident. Most pickup truck owners refrain from installing seats in the truck bed due to reduced cargo capacity, inconvenience, and cost.
Truck beds have a floor, often corrugated, sides, and a tailgate. Some pickup truck owners install seats for their passengers upon the floor and within the truck bed. These permanent seats occupy nearly one third of the cargo space. Should the pickup truck owner wish to haul cargo, the pickup truck owner must remove and reinstall seats. Adjustable frames with a seat for a truck bed are desirable for secure but removable seats in a truck bed.
The use of truck bed seats is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,179 to Tidwell discloses a truck bed seat that folds upon a two-rail frame. However, the Tidwell '179 patent does not clamp to the sides of truck bed, and has further drawbacks of permanent bolting to the truck bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,354 to Martin discloses a pickup bed cap having passenger seat that covers an entire truck bed. However, the Martin '354 patent does not have a frame for the seat, and additionally does not adjust the seat vertically or side to side within the truck bed.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,928 to Huber discloses a pickup truck bed seat that folds and detaches from a truck. However, the Huber '928 patent does not have a frame to support the seat, and cannot adjust the elevation of the seat above the floor of a truck bed.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 391,086 to Catchings et al. discloses a vehicle seat that attaches to a truck bed. However, the Catchings '086 patent does not have a frame, and cannot adjust the position of the seat once bolted to the truck bed.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,501 to White et al. discloses a truck bed detachable seat assembly that folds and attaches to a truck bed floor. However, the White '501 patent does not mount a seat above the truck bed floor, and cannot clamp to a truck bed lip.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,676 to Edwards discloses a folding tailgate seat that has a hook over the tailgate. However, the Edwards '676 patent does not have a frame to support the seat, and has the additional deficiency of no adjustment of position of the seat.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe an adjustable frame with seat for a truck bed that fits truck beds of various sizes. The Tidwell '179 patent makes no provision for removably clamping a seat to a truck bed. While the Martin '354 patent omits a frame to support the seat. The Huber '928, Catchings '086, and Edwards '676 patents make no provision to adjust the position of the seat within a truck bed. Then the White '501 patent makes no provision for attaching a seat to the truck bed lip.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved adjustable frame with seat for a truck bed that can be used for truck beds of various sizes. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the adjustable frame with seat for a truck bed according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of truck beds of various sizes.